These days the headlines are almost always bad news. Life can be challenging. We all experience sadness, suffering and loss.
But the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of good news! Other religions offer advice on what you must do to earn God’s favor or entrance into heaven. Only Christianity proclaims a message of what God has done for us! Following Jesus is not about a burdensome list of rules – that is religion. Jesus offers rest.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Rest means more than a little break from your work. It means peace, wholeness and life as God intends it. It means restoration, happiness and fulfillment. How can Jesus promise such a thing? The gospel explains how Jesus accomplished this great salvation – how he changed the world and how he can change your life. You can sum up the message in four words:
“Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Jesus died for you and for me. He died in our place. That was the only way to save us from the punishment our sins deserve. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The paycheck we have all earned because of our bad choices is death – both physically and spiritually. We don’t deserve God’s love and acceptance, nor do we deserve to spend eternity with Him in heaven. What we deserve is judgment and condemnation.
But that is precisely why Jesus came – so he could bear the condemnation we all deserve. In the old days the Jewish people would bring a one year old lamb to the temple as a sacrifice. The head of the house would place his hands on the head of the lamb, asking God to transfer his sins and the sins of his family from them to the animal. Then the lamb was slaughtered and burned up on the altar. God was teaching His people that sin is serious and there is a price to pay to cover it.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. He was pure and innocent, having lived a life of perfect righteousness. And when he died on the cross he became the once for all sacrifice for sin.
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
Your sins have all been paid for. Forgiveness and eternal life are available to you right now as a free gift! This is the most incredible good news! Here is how you can receive this gift today:
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
This is called “the sinner’s prayer.” The specific words don’t matter; it isn’t a magical prayer. It’s about your heart – about expressing your faith in Jesus and your commitment to Him. To say, “Jesus is Lord,” is to say that He is your Master now – the One in charge of your life – that you belong to Him. To believe that God raised him from the dead is to place all of your hope and trust for salvation in what Jesus did for you when he died on the cross and rose again.
Lots of people know about Jesus. Many believe he died on the cross and rose again. But to be truly saved you need to commit your life personally and wholeheartedly to Him. 
Imagine you are on the Titanic and realize it is sinking into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Would it be enough for you to know about the lifeboat? Would it be enough for you to believe the lifeboat could save you? No. The only way to be saved is to get onto the boat!
The same is true with Jesus. It’s not enough to just know about him. It’s not enough to believe he could save you. You have to get on board! You have to give him your heart and life – entrust yourself completely to Him. Essentially you are admitting that apart from Him you are lost, so you are trading your sin-filled life for the new life that Jesus will give you.
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Mark 8:35
What a trade this is! Jesus will take your sinful life and give you His righteous life. He will take your sadness and pain and give you His joy and peace. He will take your guilt and shame and cover you with His glory. Jesus will not only forgive your sins, He will pronounce you righteous before the holy throne of God. He will fill you with His Holy Spirit and give you power to live every day. And he promises to make you perfect one day, to finish the process he has started in you so that you can be with Him for all of eternity in heaven.
This is the good news of the 10 saving acts of Jesus. It’s the simple truth that “Christ died for us.” But there is much more to the message! Watch this two minute video to learn more about the Gospel:
For a detailed explanation of the 10 saving acts of Jesus, watch, listen or read the sermon series The Gospel.
For a simple explanation of how the Gospel is different from religion, watch this short video:
If you have any questions or would like to meet with someone to talk more about this, please don’t hesitate to contact us – office@oakwoodfl.org / 813.969.2303
Here is an excellent place to learn more about Jesus and Christianity: christianityexplored.org